Purple

As you may have guessed from seeing corn in the background of my pictures, I live on a farm.  I was feeling kind of frustrated and a little overwhelmed the other day, and being that fresh air does the soul good, I figured I'd take a little walk around my yard and up my road to help clear my head.  I felt so much better when I got back in.

1.  I picked myself a few flowers and weeds to put in a tiny antique vase on my kitchen counter.
2.  My farty, annoying, and always loving dog, Kona.
3.  Chris' grandma let me take her picture.  "Good," she said, when I told her I wouldn't get her face. / One of the many butterflies enjoying nectar on my butterfly bush.
4.  Flojo can't come out on walks, so she watches patiently at the window (and this always makes me kind of sad since we do everything else together).
5.  Where the kind of gravel road turns to complete gravel road.
6.  More of my weed bouquet.
7.  Another butterfly, and Kona's favorite position on the front porch.

When you're feeling overwhelmed or bummed out, what helps you clear your head?

Giveaway from Chicnova!

I'm so excited to be teaming up with chicnova to offer you $30 to spend on whatever you'd like on chicnova.com!  I've been looking through about every category on the site and I have too many favorites to even fathom (maybe because I'm a clothes hoarder).  Please see the entry rules below to get a chance at winning!

Find my favorites show above here:  knit top, leopard pants, denim vest, lace dress, tank dress, gold top

To be eligible for the giveaway, you MUST follow the giveaway rules.  No exceptions.

1. Become a fan of chicnova on either facebook, pinterest, or tumblr.
2. Register on the chicnova site.
3. Leave a comment with a link to your favorite item from chicnova AND the email address you used to register (without this you cannot be awarded your prize).

There you go, easy peasy!  This giveaway will last for 10 days, and the winner will be announced following the giveaway's end.

details.

good morning!  i wouldn't normally do more than one outfit post in the same week with the same dress, but when i showed you this dress on monday, i didn't get to show you the best part of it - the details!  it was hot like an armpit when i wore it sans sweater, which means the best part wasn't covered up...

 dress: c/o oasap // belt: old navy // necklace: vintage, thrifted // shoes: payless

i love that there are buttons up the back, but my favorite things about this dress is that there are pockets (why don't more dresses have pockets?), and that the top half and over the shoulders is sheer; so pretty.

moving on, i have good news, at least for me!  my toes are no longer broken, and my leg is healed up (running injury) which means I'M ABLE TO RUN AGAIN!!!  i'm so excited about it that i want to run every single day!  it's hard to tell myself to take it slow and not run too often because that runner's high is addictive, but i'm going to be smart about it...i think.

rain or shine?

we were so lucky last week.  it rained (a lot) AND temperatures were only in the 80's!  i was so excited to be able to wear sleeves again that i didn't even know how to act.  the only problem: which sleeved items do i love and miss wearing the most?  easy.  this yellow sweater...

sweater: thrifted // dress: c/o oasap.com // sandals: kork ease via ebay // necklace: vintage, thrifted

do you ever wear an outfit that you never want to take off because you just love everything about it so much?  this is that outfit for me.  i can't say enough about that dress from oasap.  the color is perfect and matches with everything, the fabric is so soft you almost can't feel you're wearing it, and the back has the prettiest sheer and button detail (which i'll show you later this week).  also, i'm a kork ease lover for life.  i've heard people talk about how comfortable the sandals are, but now i'm a believer.  so i have a feeling you'll be seeing A LOT more of those shoes!  and the necklace i think is gaudy in the best way.  it's so bold and gaudy that i think it's the perfect necklace for plain clothes.  all in all, i plan to wear this outfit a lot.  a whole lot.

so how was your weekend?  and what did you do?

ditsy?

sometimes i see words or phrases on the internet and, although i may know what they're associated with, i have no idea what they actually mean.  it makes me feel so old and out of touch.  for example: ditsy.  and to think all this time i've just thought my dresses had a floral print...

dress: vintage, thrifted // belt: came with another dress // shoes: aldo // sunglasses: tumbleweeds // bracelets: vintage and san francisco street vendor // ditsy flowers: courtesy of my husband

i wasn't sure about this dress when i first saw it because it was made to be the jumper type that you wear over a shirt, and i don't think i've done that since 4th grade when my turtlenecks were printed with teddy bears.  but, i like the pattern, the fabric is soft, it fit, and i knew that it would be a simple alteration that wouldn't take more than 20 minutes.  i still can't believe what i'm about to tell you, but i actually had the dress fixed and ready to wear less than a week after i got it.  i know, it's insane, but i swear i'm not lying.

so how was your weekend?  mine was so nice but went by WAY too quickly!  i got a painting almost finished, i got a new tattoo, and we went riding by the creek and through the woods (and had more encounters with nature than ever before) because several of you guys said you wanted to see more of the farm - and what my friends want, my friends get.  so i'll show you soon!

summer on the farm

sometimes i tell chris about the times i try to explain to people that i live in the country, or that i live on a farm, or that i have no neighbors, and they don't really believe me; they still think that target is only 5 minutes away; that i can walk to the post office; that i'm close enough to a grocery store to ride my bike; that my driveway is paved.  because i didn't grow up on a farm or in the country, it's still weird sometimes being so far from everything (or at least it feel like a long way to me), but there are some things i've learned to appreciate about the seclusion that comes from living here...

-being able to make my own path and take walks anywhere i want with only the wildlife to see me.

-knowing that at any minute i can look outside and see deer, turkeys, rabbits, or so many species of birds that city dwellers can't enjoy.

-having a thick patch of milkweed that grows in the corner of our backyard, providing food for the monarch caterpillars, and then a place for them to attach their cocoon.

-knowing that in june the wheat will be cut so i can walk through the fields and see where i'm stepping without worrying about hidden snakes!

-taking jogs, hikes, and ATV rides with my dog the dummy through the woods, by the creek, and on trails chris made, knowing that we have 140 acres of freedom!  side note: it might sound bad to call kona a dummy, but when dogs do their "i'm going to pretend i'm deaf while i prance around outside and ignore you" routine, i think dummy is fitting.

-laying outside at night on the trampoline with chris watching shooting stars, following satellites as they move across the sky, and pointing out constellations.

do you live in the city or in the country?  what are some of your favorite things about it?

"look at me, i'm sandra dee"

if you know me even a little, you'll know just how crazy i am about grease. even after watching it regularly for 20 years now, it still never gets old. as usual, i'm been humming or singing a song from the movie, and since i have a few new favorites from browsing etsy, i thought, "hey, these things together would make a good modern day sandy outfit!" so here's my compilation, 21st century sandy!

where to find these beauties: sunglasses, dress, necklace, ballet flats, handbag

that outfit definitely puts me in the mood for a boardwalk stroll along the beach. or maybe a bike ride. but probably both. sunglasses and sundresses... anyone else in the mood for a little summer lovin'?

while i was away, i had fun!

i didn't take an intentional vacation from my blog, but man was it ever nice! i feel like i have a lot of jobs and deadlines right now, and being able to step away for a little while was really helpful. i feel like i've done so much since we last saw each other, but i'm not really sure where to begin, and truly, it would be really boring for me to list out every single thing i've done lately! i can tell you one thing with absolute certainty though, i've DEFINITELY been enjoying summer! last friday chris and i went to the lake (and when i say lake, i'm not talking a little stagnant body of water, i'm taking about a massive lake that goes in two states and is so big that there is nothing but water for as far as the eye can see) and i took a few pictures before my camera finally died forever...

one thing i really love about this lake is that it isn't crowded. to give you an idea of how uncrowded it is, everyone that goes can have their own beach or even their own island! chris and i stopped at this beach for a while to walk around, take a break, swim, etc., and i told him i was going to look for a group of young boys with a conch (please tell me you've read lord of the flies or i'm going to feel stupid). i didn't find the kids, but i did find two kids toys (and of course i told chris that they got there from shipwreck and they had to eat each other). seriously, what is wrong with me?! i swear i'm the queen of inappropriate. anyway, chris wrote i love you in the sand, and i wrote "we ate the kids for lunch."

so that's some of what i've been doing while i've been away! i hope you've been enjoying summer, assuming you're on this side of the world!

the bathing suit post

So, this one is going to require a bit of wordage (or maybe that's just because I'm so painfully shy); I'd suggest getting comfortable with a nice cup of tea, or a stiff drink, your choice. You know how I told you yesterday about my new favorite bathing suit that I got from J. Crew on Sunday? Well, I wanted to show you, but I couldn't get a decent picture of it hanging up, and I don't know anyone my size or have any neighbors, so I had to use myself. Ugh. Don't laugh, and please don't judge! I'm definitely not the showy type, so the fact that I'm using pictures of myself doesn't mean I'm in love with myself!

This top is super cute, and I REALLY love bandeau tops (the halter strap can be removed). I got a different color bottom to go with it because I really love the look of mix & match suits, but unfortunately it isn't the right fit. I'm SOOOO self conscious about it, but there are these scars from a surgery I had when I was younger, and the older I get, the more I hate them. When I was younger, I just assumed that everyones lower stomach looked like mine, but when I finally realized mine was different, it sort of started to bother me. I used to cry about the scars, and sometimes if I'm feeling blue, I still do! Anyway, so many bikini bottoms these days are made super duper low cut, and I can't wear them because I REFUSE to show the top scar (it's the deepest). So, the bottom I got for this top was cut too low, but at least I have another bottom that will work!

And this one is my favorite! It just barely covers the top scar, but just barely is better than bare! I don't even know where to begin. I love the color (most any shade of green is my favorite), I love the ultra soft, smooth fabric, I love the sort of vintage inspired style, I love everything about it, and most of all, I love that it cost me less than $10! That's right, J. Crew for less than $10!

So thanks for reading through my blah and icky feelings, and I hope you don't think I'm weird for posting bathing suit pictures of myself. Maybe I'm just weird because I get so crazy about it. I don't know.

This bit actually has nothing to do with my bathing suit (or, I guess it could loosely relate since I was in a swimming pool), but I'm watching an episode of Made on MTV with cheerleaders, and it made me think of this one Saturday at the pool when my sister and cousin decided they wanted to use me as a stunt girl since I'm the smallest. They made me stand on their shoulders, and the dumb part is, we were in the shallow end. All I know is, someones foot slipped and I fell all that way and landed flat on my back on the bottom of the pool. I seriously thought I'd drown. Then I got up, but I still couldn't breathe. Dad came and pulled me out of the pool, and when I finally started breathing and could move again, I told Lauren and Emily that I would not play cheerleader with them again. Definitely not worth the pain and lack of oxygen!

wishlist wednesday!

Today's wish list is inspired by the warm weather we've been having, and my need for an aquatic fix. I live to swim, so I have serious withdrawal during the cold months! My pool/beach bag is by my bed, and I've tried on my bathing suit a few times to make sure it still fits (it does), so I'm ready to go!

From the top: Tuto sandals from tuto, Navajo Print Ballet Top and Tie Bottom Bikini from harajuku, 50's Vintage Calobar sunglasses from VintageFrosting, vintage golden woven straw wicker purse from RustBeltThreads.

If you have a wish list you'd like to share, I'd love to see! Leave a link to your little collection in the comments.

oh, the weather outside is...frightful? no.

I think summer held on for as long as it could, but now fall is moving in. Don't get me wrong, summer and I are friends, with our sundresses and flip flops, but I look forward to the start of fall. The crisp mornings, clear skies and most of all, cardigans! This year, more than any other, the end of summer is bittersweet. I've tried to keep my girlish figure by swimming as much as I could, and I'll miss the pool the most. If I have to give up my little piece of aquatic heaven, I will do so with the hope of a beautiful, white winter, as our summer has been a bit cooler than others.

If I could remember the exact origin of this picture, I promise I'd share it, but all I know is that I found it somewhere on tumblr.